Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? There are a couple of tricky ones today. (8-Across, for one.) Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Croat or Bulgarian
Answer: SLAV

5A clue: No-___ Texas Hold’em (poker variety)
Answer: LIMIT

7A clue: Proof you weren’t part of the crime, say
Answer: ALIBI

8A clue: Roll around in the morning?
Answer: BAGEL

9A clue: Purchase price
Answer: COST

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Thick piece of concrete
Answer: SLAB

2D clue: Light purple
Answer: LILAC

3D clue: Ol’ buddy ol’ pal
Answer: AMIGO

4D clue: Has good chemistry (with)
Answer: VIBES

6D clue: Lean to one side
Answer: TILT

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one, especially if you’re from the City of Angels. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Up into the air!

Green group hint: Tinseltown teams.

Blue group hint: The Metrodome is another one.

Purple group hint: Artsy Olympics.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Leap.

Green group: Los Angeles teams.

Blue group: Former NFL stadiums.

Purple group: Rhythmic gymnastics apparatus.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is leap. The four answers are bound, hop, jump and spring.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Los Angeles teams. The four answers are Chargers, Dodgers, Sparks and Trojans.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is former NFL stadiums. The four answers are Candlestick, Giants, Silverdome and Veterans.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is rhythmic gymnastics apparatus. The four answers are clubs, hoop, ribbon and rope.

Remember that dazzling night in May 2024, when the aurora borealis lit up states that almost never see its colorful glow? Some of us have been chasing that natural marvel ever since. 

Now, the sun is at its solar maximum, and many might get their chance to see the northern lights again. Late Thursday night and early Friday morning, a moderately powerful magnetic storm impacts the Earth’s magnetic field, making the aurora visible in 21 states. 

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According to NOAA, the aurora will be visible in Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. Those with a high enough vantage point facing north should also be able to see it in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Vermont. Alaskans and Canadians will have the best view. 

This is only a prediction. The aurora could be stronger or weaker depending on how things go. If you’re just south of any of these states, it may be worth seeing if the aurora makes it down to you. 

This storm is a continuation of one that hit the US on Wednesday night, for which NOAA initially predicted a G2 magnetic storm but ultimately classified it as a stronger G3 storm. 

Both storms come from a pair of X-Class coronal mass ejections, or eruptions of solar material and magnetic field that the sun launched toward the Earth on Nov. 4. X-class is the highest designation, so these ejections were pretty big. 

Tips for viewing the northern lights

The methods for viewing an aurora are straightforward. 

You’ll want to get as far away from the city and suburbs as you can to minimize light pollution. After that, you’ll want to get as high up as possible and then face north. 

The northern states in the US will have the best view, but those further south in the prediction zone may still see something if they’re high enough and it’s dark enough outside. 

Avoiding light pollution may be tough because the moon is almost full. It may drown out the aurora along the southern reaches of NOAA’s prediction area. 

If you do decide to head out, you also have a pretty good chance at spotting a shooting star since there are four meteor showers active right now, including Orionids, Leonids, Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids. Three of the meteor showers are scheduled to peak in November.